Weekly birding round-up: 27 Nov - 3 Dec
With a great big lump of high pressure parking itself across Britain and Ireland this week, there was some respite from the wet end to the autumn and a feeling of, perhaps, actual winteriness in the air.
Did that translate into anything worthwhile on the birding front? Time to grab a cuppa and settle down for the last November round up for another year…
First found on St Mary’s (Scilly) on 18th November, the Hermit Thrush showed no signs of moving on any time soon this week, apparently still confusing Scilly for the benign wintering grounds of Central America. As one does.
Present until 3rd, it remained at Porth Hellick and, for the most part, proved confiding for those making the effort to hop across the water to twitch it. All in all, a really fitting way for Scilly to close its 2019 account – assuming that the islands really are done with us for another year. With Scilly, you just never know…
Belated news this week came in of a Dusky Thrush found the weekend before last, seen at North Ferriby (East Yorkshire) on 23rd.
While a couple of accessible mainland birds of late have, perhaps, taken some of the lustre off Dusky Thrush in terms of sheer pulling power, that’s not to understate in any way the rarity of the species in a British context. They remain a pukka rare beast with, to the end of 2018, just 14 accepted British records to date. The last one, painfully for your own correspondent, being the one seen just a few hundred metres from my Whalsay (Shetland) kitchen window on 5th December 2018. A bird I was a ferry ride too far away and 40 minutes too late in learning the news to do anything useful about.
WOW ! - DUSKY THRUSH reported to us this afternoon, images shared with permission of home owner, bird near N Ferriby, E Yorks. Will be looked tomorrow and if present access then negotiated. Photos taken at w/e - bird not looked for since. MT pic.twitter.com/ftMjzWjRjr
— RSPB Birders (@RSPBbirders) November 28, 2019
Curiously, though, the bird in North Ferriby appears to be a first for Yorkshire – the county has been encircled with past records from Cleveland, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Greater Manchester. It was only a matter of time before one was found and, of the traditionally heavy hitting east coast counties, only Norfolk and Suffolk now remain wanting for a bird.
There was definitely a bit of a theme developing this week where belated news was concerned. First that Dusky Thrush and then, after dark on 3rd, news emerging of a Wilson’s Phalarope logged the previous day in Co.Kerry at Carrigafoyle Castle.
That’s a remarkable record. Not for Co.Kerry as such, as there have been ample previous birds there – nine accepted records to the end of 2017 – but for Britain and Ireland taken as a whole where the timing is concerned. This bird comes to be the first December record.
Traditionally they turn up in the autumn, with a peak in September. Numbers tail of sharply thereafter, and with just four birds logged in Britain and Ireland in November and then nothing whatsoever in any year until May, the unseasonable nature of this bird becomes apparent. One might say it’s doing a Hermit Thrush, turning up when one least expected it to do so.
Time will tell whether it too is also going to stick around for a decent spell…
For rarity this week amongst the seabirds there’s no topping the returning Cornish Pacific Diver on the sea off Penzance and Marazion until 3rd; but, for sheer volume, there’s no beating Orkney and the considerable presence of White-billed Divers in their waters – Papa Westray peaking once more with 12 off there on 29th, while a single bird was found in the calmer waters of Scapa Bay on 29th-1st. A further possible bird was seen heading south off Spurn (East Yorkshire) on 30th.
A solitary Leach’s Petrel was logged off St Ives (Cornwall) on 27th.
For lingering crowd-pleasing quality this week we needed to look no further than Lincolnshire where the adult Pomarine Skua continued to find plenty of good cause to linger until 3rd, giving a resounding seal of approval to Donna Nook. Nationally, a further 20 birds were noted over the course of the week, predominantly singletons but with three seen from Filey (North Yorkshire) on 28th, and duos noted off Flamborough (East Yorkshire) on 28th and Frinton-on-Sea (Essex) on 30th.
Some 16 Little Auks were seen this week, from Orkney in the north to Suffolk in the south – all single bird sightings bar three birds noted off Thorpeness (Suffolk) on 29th and two seen from St Agnes Head (Cornwall) on 1st.
Another quiet week amongst our long-legged beasties lately, with Glossy Ibises once more making all the news. The seemingly resident bird remained in Devon at Fremington Pill on 28th still and again on 3rd; while other recent sightings continued to linger a while in Norfolk and Kent – the Thornham Harbour (Norfolk) bird was once more reported on 27th, while the Worth (Kent) individual remained off and on until 3rd and maybe accounts for that seen on 2nd at Sandwich Bay. On 3rd a familiar face re-emerged into the news – the individual once more being seen at Newport Wetlands NNR (Gwent).
Further sightings this week came from Ireland – one was seen at Tacumshin (Co.Wexford) on 29th while, on 30th, one was seen in flight near Reenard Pier (Co.Kerry); and, on 1st, one remained at Pilmore (Co.Cork).
Away from Norfolk, two Common Cranes were reported in flight near Towcester (Northamptonshire) on 27th; while two more birds were seen over Mareham-le-Fen (Linctolnshire) on 29th; and at least one was present at Eldernell (Cambridgeshire) on 3rd.
Now we’re into December, Christmas is coming and the rare and scarce goose section of the weekly round up is getting fat. It’s that time of year again…
The previous week’s Lesser White-fronted Goose failed to materialise again this week, so our main honker interest came from the north. Potentially the rarest of the lot was a possible Ross’s Goose hanging out with Greylags near Thurso (Highland) on 29th-30th – frustratingly distant, for now. (Though cynics might add that ‘frustrating’ pretty much sums up the British list situation where Ross’s Geese are concerned anyway…)
Less contentious – though really, why, when there are known feral birds to cloud the picture – are Snow Geese and, this week, white morphs were again seen on North Uist (Western Isles) on 27th-3rd and at New Cumnock (Ayrshire) on 28th-30th.
The possible Grey-bellied Brant was still present this week at Castle Stuart (Highland) on 28th-2nd.
Black Brants, meanwhile, were seen in Poole Harbour (Dorset) on 28th and Old Hall Marshes RSPB (Essex) on 28th also, at Falkenham Marshes (Suffolk) again on 3rd, and on 3rd in East Yorkshire at Skeffling.
Moving on to The Goose Formerly Known As Canada, the interior Todd’s Canada Goose remained on North Uist (Western Isles) on 27th-1st, with two hutchinsii Richardson’s Cackling Geese still there too on 27th-29th.
On Islay (Argyll & Bute) an interior Todd’s Canada Goose was seen on 27th, with a hutchinsii Richardson’s Cackling Goose also present there that day for good measure.
A final possible interior Todd’s Canada Goose remained on 2nd at Ballyconnell (Co.Sligo).
And so to the quackers, where we’d all manner of lingering rarities and scarcities scattered around the length and breadth of the country to look for. Starting up on Orkney, the Papa Westray Steller’s Eider continued his residency on 27th-3rd.
The drake Black Scoter in Lunan Bay (Angus) remained on 28th-30th, whilst another was once more seen in Northumbrian waters off Cheswick Sands on 30th-3rd again.
Back in Scotland, the drake White-winged Scoter was to be found off Musselburgh (Lothian) still on 28th-29th.
As for Surf Scoters, there were a few to go at once more this week. Musselburgh’s drake remained there until 2nd at least; at the opposite end of the country, the female or juvenile drake was still off St Mary’s (Scilly) on 27th-1st; another female or juvenile drake was seen on 27th at Loch Ryan (Dumfries & Galloway). On 30th, a drake was found at Gleninagh (Co.Clare); and on 1st, drakes were noted from Kirkwall (Orkney) and Old Colwyn (Conwy), the latter retaining the bird until 3rd.
Heading onto freshwater, the female Lesser Scaup remained this week on Stithians reservoir (Cornwall) on 28th-30th, and a drake was seen on 2nd on Achill Island (Co.Mayo); while on Blashford Lakes HWT (Hampshire) the regular wintering drake Ferruginous Duck was back again there on 27th-30th.
Ring-necked Ducks had a bit of an early winter moment this week, with flocks plural seen in Britain and Ireland alike. Starting with the British contingent, five birds remained on Lower Tamar Lake (Cornwall) on 30th-3rd, with another in the county still at Siblyback reservoir on 27th-3rd also. Other English birds were seen at Pine Lake (Lancashire) still on 27th-3rd; Sturminster Marshall GP (Dorset) again on 28th-1st; in West Yorkshire at Johnny Brown’s Common Pond on 28th-29th and again on 1st, Anglers CP on 30th and 2nd, and Cold Hiendley and Wintersett reservoirs on 1st; and at Abberton reservoir (Essex) once more on 3rd. A Welsh sighting came from Llyn Pendam (Ceredigion) on 27th-30th; and, in Scotland, two remained on Tiree (Argyll & Bute) on 27th-29th, one on Barra (Western Isles) on 30th still and, on 2nd, one was seen at Acharacle (Highland).
That brings us across the water now to Ireland, where three birds at Lough Yganavan (Co.Kerry) on 27th rose to five birds present there on 28th, and six by 29th. On Lough Gara (Co.Sligo) on 1st four birds remained, while Co.Galway supplied Ireland’s remaining bird on 30th, a drake on Rahasane Turlough. Overall, then, I make that 26 birds this week across the region as a whole.
In Devon the female Blue-winged Teal remained at Man Sands on 29th-3rd.
Green-winged Teals this week comprised four settled birds from recent days – at Chew Valley Lake (Somerset) still on 27th-3rd; Wacker Quay (Cornwall) still on 27th-30th; Blacktoft Sands RSPB (East Yorkshire) again on 28th; and, in Ireland, at Blennerville (Co.Kerry) still on 27th-3rd – and a fresh Irish face at Timoleague (Co.Cork) on 30th.
Now to American Wigeons and, this week, birds remaining at Loch Watten (Highland) still on 29th, and Kinvarra (Co.Galway) also still on 29th-2nd. A further bird was reported from South Uist (Western Isles) on 28th; and, on 3rd, the drake was again seen at Grindon Lough (Northumberland).
Finally, and with a certain dread resignation, to Staffordshire where a drake Hooded Merganser was found at Whitemoor Haye on 2nd. We’ll wait to see if it in any way blots its copybook before getting too animated about that one…
If it weren’t for dowitchers this week the sum total of our shorebird news would have been the Grey Phalarope seen off Dawlish Warren NNR (Devon) on 28th – which would have pathos personified.
As it was, however, we had the reliable joy of the settled Long-billed Dowitchers still present at Cresswell Pond NWT (Northumberland) on 27th-3rd, Campfield Marsh RSPB (Cumbria) still on 28th-3rd, and at Bowling Green Marsh RSPB (Devon) still on 28th-30th. A final new bird, found on Kilcoole Marsh (Co.Wicklow), havered between Long and Short-billed Dowitcher as the day wore on before being resolved, on 1st, as a Long-billed Dowitcher and remaining there until 3rd.
With nothing rarer than Ring-billed Gulls being found this week, the most notable of our Larids has to be the Sabine’s Gull seen off St Ives (Cornwall) on 27th.
As for those Ring-billed Gulls, Irish birds remained at Nimmo’s Pier (Co.Galway) on 30th and at Blackrock (Co.Louth) still on 27th-1st, with one found on 3rd at the ever-reliable Tralee Bay Wetlands Centre (Co.Kerry). A second-winter bird was seen at Chew Valley Lake (Somerset) on 27th and, in Wales, one was found on Llys-y-Fran reservoir (Pembrokeshire) on 28th.
While the cold air ushered in by the week’s high pressure system didn’t waft with it an influx of white-wingers, there were some tentative signs of life in that regard – notably a couple of Kumlien’s Gulls seen, respectively, at Embo (Highland) on 27th and, on 30th, heading north past Flamborough (East Yorkshire).
Numbers of Iceland Gulls however were pretty dire, with the settled bird at North Shields (Northumberland) still on 28th-3rd augmented by further sightings on Fair Isle (Shetland) on 27th, at Tramore (Co.Waterford) still on 28th and, in Scotland, on North Uist (Western Isles) on 28th, Unst (Shetland) on 29th, and Lendalfoot (Ayrshire) on 3rd. On 1st English birds were seen from Flamborough (East Yorkshire) and Newlyn (Cornwall); and on 2nd at Draycote Water (Warwickshire) and Drift reservoir (Cornwall).
Unst provided the lion’s share of Glaucous Gull records this week – two birds on 27th rising, on 28th, to four birds and then, on 29th, a peak count of seven individuals on or passing the island as a whole. Papa Westray (Orkney) had a singleton on 28th and three birds there the following day; one remained on Lewis (Western Isles) on 28th; and an adult was seen at Draycote Water (Warwickshire) on 30th and 3rd. On 1st one was seen from Wallasea Island RSPB (Essex), and another at Winterton (Norfolk) while, back on Shetland, a single bird was seen on Foula. On 2nd two birds were again seen at North Shields (Northumberland), with one still there the following day. Lastly, on 3rd one was present on Papa Westray (Orkney).
Co.Galway returned to the news on 1st-2nd with the adult Forster’s Tern seen in Oranmore Bay at Roscam.
Pick of the week’s raptors was, by some margin, the rare sighting nowadays of a Golden Eagle in English skies – a juvenile bird noted on 30th at Thropton (Northumberland). This followed an unconfirmed report the previous day in Northumberland at Longhoughton.
An immature White-tailed Eagle, meanwhile, made the news at Loch Ryan (Dumfries & Galloway) on 27th.
Two juvenile Rough-legged Buzzards this week provided local and visiting birders in East Anglia with reliable sightings – the Wells (Norfolk) bird still being settled there until 3rd, and a bird at Bawdsey (Suffolk) on 29th-3rd spreading the love a little further still. One was seen on Sheppey at Queenborough (Kent) on 1st. Another probable bird was seen on 30th at Fortrose (Highland), with an unconfirmed report of another that day at Handy Cross (Buckinghamshire); on 1st further reports came in from King’s Lynn (Norfolk) and Castle Semple Loch (Clyde); and on 2nd one was seen at Thorpe Marshes (Norfolk). On 3rd one was present near Huttons Ambo (North Yorkshire).
Pipits take the star billing this week, thrushes excepted, in the passerines section of proceedings. We’ll start in Cornwall where the American Buff-bellied Pipit reappeared at Sennen on 28th after an absence of some days. Too much to hope that the Paddyfield Pipit will be coming back to light any time soon – indeed, it’s probably already done so via the digestive tract of the local moggy that was said to be stalking it in the final days of its Cornish sojourn…
Sticking with the pipits a while yet, a possible Blyth’s Pipit was reported over Oldbury power station (Gloucestershire) in the morning of 30th, but with no sign nearby thereafter.
Finally for pipits, a Richard’s Pipit was seen on 28th and 2nd at Kingston Seymour (Somerset), with another at Horsey (Norfolk) on 3rd; and a further probable bird was briefly reported from Mythop (Lancashire) on 1st.
A very late female Bluethroat was found on 28th at Exminster Marshes RSPB (Devon).
Speaking of late birds, making a case for December being the new October a Red-breasted Flycatcher was found in Norfolk on 1st near Waxham.
An eastern Stonechat sp, thought to be probably a Siberian, was found on 1st-3rd at Hollesley Marshes RSPB (Suffolk).
Pick of the week’s warblers were a trio of lingering Pallas’s Warblers - birds remained at Minsmere RSPB (Suffolk) on 27th; Kilnsea (East Yorkshire) on 28th-30th; and intermittently at Paradise Fen LNR (Cambridgeshire) on 29th-2nd – and a further bird found in the sheltered depths of Cot Valley (Cornwall) on 3rd.
Eleven Yellow-browed Warblers seemed, compared with this point in the past year or two, like a modest showing – birds were seen and heard this week at Ironbridge (Shropshire) on 27th; on 28th at Helston (Cornwall) and on Portland (Dorset); on 28th-2nd at Lodmoor RSPB (Dorset); and on 29th-3rd at Greylake RSPB (Somerset). On 1st the new month began with sightings at Bude Marshes (Cornwall), North Hallsands (Devon), and Alrewas (Staffordshire), the Bude bird being seen there still on 2nd and the Alrewas individual remaining present until 3rd. On 2nd one was again seen on St Mary’s (Scilly) and, on 3rd, one was present at Filey Dams NR (North Yorkshire), with another noted in Falmouth (Cornwall) on the latter date also at Swanvale NR.
A Yellow-browed or Hume’s Warbler was present at Gibraltar Point NNR (Lincolnshire) on 29th.
Kent landed presumably the same Penduline Tit in the morning of 30th at Stodmarsh NNR and then, in the afternoon, at adjacent Grove Ferry NNR.
In Aberdeenshire the Hoopoe remained at Foveran on 27th-29th.
More seasonal colour came in the continuing presence of decent numbers of Waxwings - around 800 birds were reported this week, representing a drop on the previous fortnight but, all the same, still a goodly quantity of these punk beauties. 126 birds seen on 2nd at Blyth (Northumberland) spoke of them beginning to infiltrate the south in more force than hitherto.
In Glamorgan the extremely unseasonable Red-backed Shrike saw in another week, still present at Porthcawl on 29th.
Great Grey Shrikes meanwhile remained at Llyn Brenig (Denbighshire) on 27th; in the New Forest (Hampshire) until 3rd; Wareham Forest (Dorset) until 2nd; Lilbourne (Northamptonshire) until 3rd; Hatfield Moors NNR (South Yorkshire) until 3rd; in Gloucestershire at Snowshill on 27th, Crabtree Hill on 28th, Yew Tree Brake on 2nd, and Sapperton on 2nd-3rd; at Bwlch y Sarnau (Powys) on 27th still; and on 30th in Ashdown Forest (East Sussex) and Molland Common (Devon). On 2nd-3rd one was again seen at Brogborough (Bedfordshire), while on 3rd the Ashdown Forest bird was reported once more; and on 3rd a final bird was found in Dalby Forest (North Yorkshire).
A Coue’s Arctic Redpoll remained in Voe (Shetland) on 2nd.
Finally, on 1st, a Little Bunting was found in Cornwall at Goonhilly Downs.
Super peaceful times this week where overseas news was concerned – cream of the crop undoubtedly being the Black-throated Accentor found in Italy at Oasi Entella on 30th and remaining there until 3rd, the second national record of the species.
Black-throated Accentor, Prunella atrogularis photographed at Oasi Entella, GE, photo by Tony Solinas - 2nd record for Italy pic.twitter.com/fWueSqYrLk
— Tarsiger (@TarsigerTeam) November 30, 2019
In northern Europe, a form sibiricus Northern Grey Shrike was trapped and ringed at Lithuania’s Ventes Ragas Ornithological Centre on 3rd – a national first record. In Estonia, meanwhile, the country’s third Calandra Lark was found on 1st at Riguldi.
Calandra Lark, Melanocorypha calandra photographed at Riguldi, Läänemaa yesterday, photo by Peter Lind - 3rd record for Estonia @TarvoValker pic.twitter.com/4z9wyVTvMV
— Tarsiger (@TarsigerTeam) December 2, 2019
Finally, absent from the news for some time now, the Azores gave us a Red-eyed Vireo on Terceira on 30th; and a Northern Harrier on Flores on 3rd.
1st-winter Northern Grey Shrike ssp sibiricus/borealis trapped and ringed at Ventes Ragas B.O, photo by Vytautas Eigirdas - the 1st record for Lithuania if accepted pic.twitter.com/emBb45Rvta
— Tarsiger (@TarsigerTeam) December 3, 2019
While we’re still in the territory where a rare thrush from either east or west could still pop out of the woodwork and, failing that, a Desert Wheatear remains a decent possibility, statistically the first week of December heralds a sea-change in the complexion of likely rarities to come – with a shift towards the north.
Think Gyr, Ivory Gull, Snowy Owl and Arctic Redpoll. Think birds clad in ermine and dusted with snow.
Failing which, keep an eye peeled for a Ring-billed Gull - they seem to be getting rarer nowadays… and can turn up pretty much anywhere that gulls hang out.
Jon Dunn
3 December 2019
Many thanks to all contributors for their photos and videos this week.
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